Hey guys I got great news! This story is now a… light novel! (Kinda)

For those of you who don't know what a light novel is, a light novel is a novel with an occasional picture, usually one per chapter. So yeah, I got a good friend of to draw an occasional drawing for "Escalating Affections." This won't affect the how fast the chapter comes out. We communicate well enough so that will never be an issue. Please read the author note on the end of the chapter, as I have a lot of story related things to say.


Chapter 7 Part 2: Confessions, maybe?

Despite how early the pair left, the train was full of people. The two struggled slightly as Hinagiku still required the warmth of his arm. Weaving through the crowd Hayate was able to find a seat with a little elbow room, which he offered to Hinagiku. As she sat down she moved as far as she could to her side, lightly patting the space next to her. Already holding the rail above his head, Hayate shook his hand and politely refused her offer. With a stress mark pulsating, she quickly pulled his sleeve and in on fluid motion, pulled him into the spot next to her. Considering the spot was enough for one person to sit comfortably the seating arrangement forced Hinagiku and Hayate to press on to one and other. As Hayate awkwardly struggled to get comfortable, he felt Hinagiku's weight shift from a squeeze to a lean. She again claimed his arm for her own and in return she flashed him a smile. A smile that not only made his heart skip, but the hearts of all the other eavesdroppers who had been watching since the couple had squeezed into the train. Their delighted smiles eventually turned to glares as they all began to share a common thought. "What a lucky bastard!" These glared did not faze the two in the slightest, as Hinagiku sat in her quiet cheerfulness and Hayate struggled to sort out his feelings.


As the two reached their stop, the ambience formed in the small space traveled with them as they squeezed out of the train car. Their destination wasn't too far from the station. In a few blocks they reached a large department store selling the various items Hayate need for studying. Being here only a few weeks before, Hinagiku quickly sped up the searching and shopping process. They stepped out of the store at noon.

"That was a lot quicker than expected." He held up his bags, containing various books, utensils, and notebooks.

She smiled and in return said, "Of course, I work with our Senseis all the time, not to mention my sister. So it would only be natural if I had memorized all of the books and materials we use."

"I see that you take your job a student council president very seriously. I have to admit, that position suits your personality perfectly."

"Eh? What do you mean by that?" She was hesitant on whether to accept it as an insult or a compliment.

"You are the most helpful, confident, and kindest person I've met. And I've only known you for a few days." He laughed slightly. "I can't think of any other person who would take in someone that they've never met before."

It was his turn to flash a smile. Hinagiku's face flushed a bright crimson as she looked in the opposite direction.

"Actually, Hayate… I… um need to tell you something. Something I probably should have told you the first night we met. I um… actually-" He glanced at her as she swiftly fell silent. Her eyes shot a cold stare strait a head. He glanced at the direction of her gaze but saw nothing out of the ordinary.

"Ano, Hinagiku? Is something-" Before he could finish Hinagiku tightened her grip on his arm and ran with all her might, her gaze at the ground the whole time. After the silent sprint the two ended up in the middle of a department store. Staying silent the whole time, Hayate mind was sprouting a torrent of questions. Hinagiku was still on alert, scanning the surrounding area as she caught her breath. He watched her silently as he tried to decipher her actions.

'This is the second time she's tried to tell me something. Why did she stop? Maybe it's because we were surrounded by so many people. Does that mean it's something personal? What could it be?' He closed his eyes, and began to think of what she was trying to tell him. He tried to recall of his pass encounters with her. Her pure smile, her declared ownership of his arm, her blush, and all of her kind words flowed into his mind. His face flushed, and he quickly covered it with his hand. 'No, it can't be! But it explains it all! Maybe it was at first sight? Well it's not impossible, it's happened to me too.' He sighed. 'C-C-Could she have feelings for me?'

As Hayate sorted out his feelings Hinagiku calmed down. She turned to her confused housemate.

"Are you okay?" She tugged on his sleeve triggering a spastic jump on his end.

"I'm fine, I'm fine! I was going to ask you the same though. Why did we just sprint into this store?" He tried to avoid direct eye contact.

"I, um, I just wanted to go shopping. I just don't want to go outside yet." She smiled lightly and held the nape of her neck.

Hayate's mind immediately formed a flow chart.

{Doesn't want to go home}{Wants to spend time with him}→{She likes him}

His crimson evolved to the point that steam started to burst out of his face. She bent over to see his face.

"Is that all right with you?" She coupled her troubled words with a pout, a pout so cute that it should have been labeled as a lethal weapon, as it pierced his heart like an arrow.

As he clenched his hand over his heart, Hayate stammered, "Y-Yes, of course! Let's go! I didn't want to go home either, and since we're so far out we should enjoy ourselves." He dragged her along to the clothe section of the store.


The two eventually migrated to the men's section of the store.

"Good thing we're here. You can't keep wearing my dad's old clothes forever. How much money do you have left after buying those school supplies?"

"I have about 50,000 yen left." (A little less then $500)

"Man, Nagi sure did stuff a lot of extra cash into it." A sweat drop formed in the back of her head. The two began to shop for Hayate. Hinagiku didn't bring up the issue again, even though they were alone, which confused Hayate to no end.

'Well for now I'll just let it all go.' He glanced over to her comparing two shirts. 'I'll try to sort it out when we get home.'


"I'm going to go try these on now." Taking his stack of clothes, he departed toward the dressing room.

She waved at him as he walked away, but she began to smile slyly as an idea popped into her head.

"Hey, Hayate?" She walked towards him, holding her arms down behind her back, swaying them back and forth.

"Yes?" He turned his head around slightly.

"Do you need any help?" She stood in front of him and gradually stepped closer.

"What do you mean by that?" He started to feel uneasy with each step that she took.

"I meant, do you need any help changing?" She stopped a step away from Hayate, but when she saw his reaction she smiled slyly again, and began to invade his personal space. In a moment her face was only a few inches away from his. He began to tremble and blush every shade of red at once. But much to his disarray she didn't stop closing the distance between the two. In a matter of moments her lips were inches away, yet her eyes were still open. He began to feel her body heat more and more. Inch by inch, she closed the gap between them. Not knowing what to do he closed his eyes sharply and waited for whatever she was planning on doing. For a moment nothing happened, until he felt the heat disappear. He opened his eyes slowly, to see Hinagiku struggling to hold her laugh in. He blinked twice as he stood there like a statue, barely able to mutter, "Eh?"


She released a flood of laughter. In between her gasps for air she tried to talk. "You… should have… seen your… your…" But she couldn't finish her sentence.

The present situation hit him in waves. He effortlessly switched from confused, to embarrassed and finally to angry.

"That was mean Hinagiku!" He almost threw his clothes at her.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She began to wipe the tears out of her eyes. "I don't know what came over me. I didn't plan to go that far, but then you started to act like a middle schooler. Is it possible this is the first time you've been out with a girl?" Hayate thought about it for a moment, she was right, although he didn't want to admit it. He just ignored her and walked towards the dressing room.

"Ah, Hayate! I said I was sorry, don't be like that. Come on it was just a joke." She began to pout as he silently walked into the dressing room. She sighed as she crossed her arms and began to lean against the wall.

Hayate leaned against the same wall inside the dressing room. 'What, what was that!' He took of his shirt and tossed it to the side.

'Now I can add teasing to the list of memories I have of her. But, that still doesn't deter the "she might like me" idea.' He sighed. As he choose a shirt he heard a quick creak and a slam. It came from behind him. He slowly turned around. To his surprise it was the confusing pink haired girl. She sighed and turned around; she jumped back at the sight of his toned chest.

"What, what are you doing!" She started to throw clothes on top of him.

"I don't need any help, I thought you were kidding. Why are you in here!" Both of their faces flushed as Hayate was buried underneath his clothes.

"That's not why I'm here!" She kept looking down. "I am here because I um… this is going to make me seem weird." She looked at him and took a large gulp.

'I-Is she going to confess now, here of all places?" Hayate thought. He swiftly put on the closet shirt, as he awaited her words.

It took a few moments for her to regain her composure. "I'm in here because-" A light knock interrupted her. She was so surprised by it she leapt forward, right into his chest. Her arms were squeezed between their two chests as she pressed her weight on to him. Oddly enough the two kept eye contact the whole time, as a mutual blush crept on to their faces.

"Ano, excuse me? Is anyone in there?" A female voice came from the other side of the door.

She shook her head, as she mouthed the words, "Do something," to him. Confused and flustered Hayate was barely able to utter, "Occupied," as he kept peering into her eyes.

"Oh, sorry. I guess you were wrong. It was a guy's voice." The girl seemed to have company.

"I could have sworn I saw her." A different girl said, as they walked away.

Hinagiku let out a loud sigh of relief after the girls walked away. She looked back up to Hayate, who had been in the same position ever since she jumped towards him. Finally realizing the position they were in, she jumped backward, brining her arms up in a defensive position.

"Sorry about that." Slowly her gaze fell to the ground as an awkward silence enveloped the both. Without saying anything she left the room and slowly shut the door. It would be a while before Hayate started to move.


It took quite some time until Hayate exited the dressing room. Hinagiku was still resting her back along the wall. They quickly glanced at each other, and just as quickly looked away. Although it took a while, Hinagiku was the first to break the silence.

"So did you like any of those clothes?" It was obvious that she was trying to forget the previous incident, but the slight blush on her face was hard to ignore.

"Y-yeah, a couple of the shirts you picked out were nice." It was evident that Hayate was having more trouble ignoring the "Flag." Eventually they went back to shopping, and after a while the situation diffused. Hinagiku began to smile as they shopped around and eventually so did Hayate.


"I think these are enough clothes for now. I should keep the rest of the money as insurance, at least until I find a job." Hayate held 2 bags of clothes, most of which were chosen by Hinagiku. The 3rd bag, contained his school supplies and a small box with a ribbon. It had taken some careful timing but Hayate was able to sneak it pass her while at the register. Afterwards the two gradually arrived to the women section of the store. Although Hayate knew the two would ultimately make it to this side, he still felt a tad uncomfortable. Unlike Hinagiku, who was comfortable selecting men's clothing, Hayate was nowhere near as helpful. Besides answering a few questions here and there, he slowly became a shopping cart. He simply held onto all the clothes Hinagiku selected. Though he didn't mind. In fact he found the whole experience quite calming. He didn't have any memories as pleasant as the current one. He spent most of his youth working, performing jobs he was too young for.

'Living without the burden of debt feels really different. I can enjoy simple pleasures like this.' He gazed a Hinagiku as she held a dress up to her body, looking into a mirror. A smile crept on to his face. He hadn't noticed it but, he had spent the last 3 days thinking about here.

'Even if she didn't confess, I would be okay with the current situation. I wish every day could be like this. Heck, I would even put up with her occasional teasing.'

"I think that should do it for me." She handed him another dress. "Let's go get something to eat, we haven't eaten all day." The two walked towards the counter, but before they could make their purchase a familiar voice called out to them.

"Hina-Chan!" It was the voice of the girl who knocked on the dressing room door. The purple haired girl ran up and hugged Hinagiku, who was looking rather flustered upon the sudden embrace. Upon closer inspection she was accompanied by two other girls, one with long light blue hair and a headband that exposed her forehead, the other had short brown hair.

"W-what are you guys doing here?" Hayate found it odd to see her so nervous.

"We're just killing time, what about you?" The trio stared at the two for a moment, mostly at Hayate. "Wait, are you on a date with that poor looking boy over there." The blue haired girl put heavy emphasis on the word "poor," sending an arrow of pain strait through his heart.

Hinagiku tripped over her words as she tried to deny all accusations. "Of course not, I-I'm just shopping. He a, he just works here. I'm fine from here, thank you for the help." She turned around and took the clothes out of Hayate's hands. As she looked up to him she mouthed the words, "I'm sorry," and turned back to her friends.

Understanding the situation Hayate walked away solemnly, back into the women's section, far enough so that they couldn't see him. Leaning against the wall, he tossed his bags to the side. He waited a bit before looking back at them. Hinagiku had purchased her clothes and was departing the store with the trio. She looked back for Hayate, but she couldn't find before her friends dragged her out of the store.

Although he was confused he was mostly saddened by her sudden departure. However before any real feelings could set in, a young lady asked for his help. She saw him help Hinagiku at the counter, and although it was not his job, he didn't seem any harm in helping her. Not too long after another lady asked for his help. It wasn't long until Hayate was practically working in the women's section. After a while the manager noticed all the happy customers leaving the women section. And after seeing Hayate in action he quickly offered him a job. Delighted by the sudden offer, he graciously accepted.


The moon shined through the clouds as Hayate left the store. He had spent the past hour in the front, but she still hadn't returned. Sighing as he exited, Hayate began to march towards the train station. He kept his gaze low. His vacant eyes were fixed on the box held out in front of him.

'Why did I buy this again?' A few snowflakes landed on top of the ribboned package. 'This was supposed to be a thank you gift, but now, it doesn't feel like I can give this to her." He brushed of the snow and slid the box into his coat pocket. Before he knew it, he had already walked to the train station. He slowly glanced around, but she wasn't there. Depressed, he walked in, but suddenly the train station became drenched in darkness as he felt a cold chill cover his eyes.

Before he could react a warm breath enveloped his ear, "Guess who?"

He turned around slowly coming face to face with Hinagiku smile, but he didn't react. He simply walked into the train and sat down. Hinagiku's smile turned into a pout. She timidly took the seat next to the boy, in the empty train car.

Three stops had flown by, but neither party broke the silence. Hinagiku had tried to several times, but it was as if she forgot how to talk. She opened her mouth only to shut it a moment later and look away. Eventually the couple made it to their stop. Hayate walked out of the train the same way he entered. Hinagiku followed closely. The snow had reached their neighborhood earlier and thin blanket had covered the sidewalk. Hayate's pace was slow, but Hinagiku's was inconsistent as she was either a few paces ahead or a few paces behind. It wasn't long before she snapped.

"Hayate! What's wrong? You haven't said a thing! I'm sorry I abandoned you a while ago, but-"

"It's my fault." His interruption stopped her dead in her tracks. "I'm sorry, I just don't know what to say." He had stopped walking, but still faced the other direction.

"I know what you said was true, we aren't really friends." He gaze kept to the ground.

"I was being selfish to think that we were friends or anything, we've only known each other for a few days." He swallowed hard.

"At this point, you're just my benefactor. That's the only relationship we-"

"We're friends!" It was her turn to interrupt. "At least that's what I feel." Although she little red, her face was surprisingly serious.

He turned around slowly. "But,"

"The reason I said all that is," she sighed heavily, "my friends are very… devious. Whenever something happens, especially with the opposite sex, they won't hesitate to use it against me." She placed her palm on her forehead as she shook her head. "I just wanted them to meet you at school first, and get to know you before all the jokes. I'm really sorry If I hurt you."

His eyes finally met hers. He began to process what she said and slowly became aware of how immature he was acting. A blush slowly enveloped his cheeks, and his mouth began to tremble. He quickly kneeled in the other direction and buried his face into his hands.

She giggled as she leaned onto his back. "Hayate… you know, it's okay to be a little selfish. You can want things, assume things, and make mistakes. You… don't have to take care of you parent's anymore… you can act… a little spoiled."

He brought his head up. "How did you know-"

"Okay!" She quickly stood up. "Hayate, I… I'm going to tell you something I should have told you that night you moved in." Her sudden seriousness caught him off guard.

'Wait! Could this be a confession? Wait, no, no, she said we we're friends. I shouldn't assume…' Her previous words echoed in his mind. '…' He slowly pulled the box out of his pocket and held it behind his back.

chibilaura(dot)deviantart(dot)com/#/d33erla
(Please place link above into another tab replacing (dot)s with a period)

"That night we met…, that wasn't the first time we met."

"I LIKE-… wait what?" His loud declaration turned into a quiet whimper.

"We had met a few months before." She smiled as she explained her recollection.

"I was walking home after work a few weeks ago, I work part time at a small café. I had just received my paycheck right before leaving. Suddenly someone on a motorcycle snatched my bag. I chased after him as hard as I could but it was no use. I was so angry, I couldn't even put it into words. But as I continued my walk home I came across a boy. He had spent the last 2 hours trying to find the owner of a bag. Apparently he had witnessed the robbery but by the time he had retrieved the bag he was too far away to find the victim."

As she talked the event flashed into his mind like it was yesterday.

"He was working too as it happened. Those two hours made him late for his delivery, costing him his job. I asked him if I could make up for it. He refused my offer, saying "That money is the crystallization of your hard work. No one has the right to take it away. Don't worry I can always find another job." Without even a second glance he just rode away." Hayate clearly remembered that day, and he couldn't imagine how he forgot her face.

"That why I helped that night, because you showed me what true kindness is." She flashed him her smile again, a sight he would never get sick of.


The rest of the walk home was silent, but it was a warm silence. The two returned to the house arm in arm. But before they could take three steps Hinagiku's mother (Named Motoko in this FF) quickly confronted the two.

"Hina-chan your so sly! Talking Hayate-kun all for yourself! She quickly hooked on to his other arm."

"I didn't take him we just went to buy some things!" Motoko quickly eyed Hinagiku's arm. Causing her to jump off of Hayate. "D-Don't misunderstand it was just c-cold outside!" She grabbed her half of the bags and stormed to the stairs. "Jeez, I'll see you tomorrow Hayate." Her smile had a bit of anger in it, but it pulled his heartstrings just the same.


Hayate had bathed and retired to his room. He sat in his bed looking out the window, Hinagiku's lights we're still on.

"I can't believe I forgot about that time. I can't believe I forgot about her face. That first smile is still burned into my memories." His smile slowly turned. "But if that's all true, then she's really just returning a favor." The flowchart from before shattered in his mind. He sat in the same position for few minutes. He stood up and put on some casual clothes. He slowly walked out of his room.

He threw her scarf over his neck. "I need to clear my head."


Thanks for reading. I got a lot of things to say/ questions/ things need help with. So for the sake of difficulty here is a bullet point list.

How do you guys feel about the length of this chapter? Too long or too short? I think I'm going to make this the "usual" length of a chapter.

How do you feel about the pictures, not the quality, but the Idea?

Is putting the link for the pic against the site's rules, I read them over and I don't think it is but I'm not positive on that.

I'm trying a different style now, one the uses a lot lest dialogue. It's actually a lot easier to write like that. I also learned a few more tips for writing, most of which I couldn't use in this chapter, because I learned them recently.

If you can, could you continue to critique my story, leaving out all issues dealing with spelling and grammar please? (Unless it becomes a big issue)

I am aware that I have broken the rule of posting "author notes" and I shall take care of that matter. I will be replacing the two notes with short stories. If you have read my other story "Hina no Ecchi" then I would appreciate the help. Could you post a romantic scenario between two characters, preferably not using Hayate or Hinagiku. Example: "Wataru and Sakuya are trapped in a hot spring" It should be that level of description.

If you could answer some, or all of those questions in a review it would be VERY VERY helpful in writing future chapters. Thanks to One Time Dancer, ColinatorGX, Kurush Wuzung, and Lord Edric. I tried to keep all of your reviews in mind while I was writing. Please keep the reviews/critiques coming.

Thank you for reading and Happy Thanksgiving!

Vene~